


Kinderszenen

by LegendaryBiologist13



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Memories, Musical References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:48:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25048675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LegendaryBiologist13/pseuds/LegendaryBiologist13
Summary: Homare has to write poems about memories, but it pains him to trudge through the bitter memories. Hisoka wakes up to comfort and inspire him.
Relationships: Arisugawa Homare/Mikage Hisoka
Comments: 4
Kudos: 48





	Kinderszenen

**Author's Note:**

> Contains spoilers to Hisoka's past.

A quiet, melancholic piano tune filled the air of Room 205. Listening to classical music had always gotten Homare's creative juices flowing, but today, it didn't work. It merely reminded him of the past he didn't want to remember, even though he was supposed to write about memories.

 _Kinderszenen_. Scenes from Childhood. The tune, _Träumerei_ , came from that set of piano pieces. With the melody played softly and dreamily in F major, one might think of writing a sweet, memorable moment as a child.

However, Homare couldn't recall such a moment without having to trudge through a sea of bitter memories. Sure, he was born to a wealthy household, he was a prodigy at school, but…

Homare had friends, only to lose them in a blink of an eye.

Homare often made people cry and worsened everything whenever he tried to console them. Yet he could never understand why.

"Human mind is always an enigma to me." He tapped his pen against the desk, staring at the blank sheet of paper. "Perhaps I should write about a dejected childhood for the column. A woeful past, a lonely lad-"

"Arisu."

Homare turned. Hisoka stood there, in pajamas and a nightcap, with his penguin plushie Pen Pen in his arms.

Putting down his pen on the desk, Homare smiled. "Oh, Hisoka! What are you doing in the dead of night?"

"You're so noisy," Hisoka deadpanned. "I can't hear the music."

"The music? Never have I thought that you would have such a refined taste."

"It's quiet and calming. I like it." Hisoka smiled a bit. "It also reminds me of my old family."

"Your old family, huh?" Homare looked down with a long face. A while back Hisoka couldn't remember a thing. Now he remembered everything, although he might shed tears while smiling whenever he reminisced.

Hisoka watched August, his beloved family, die in front of him. Yet it seemed like he treasured his memories, good or bad.

"You look sad," Hisoka muttered. "That's unusual."

Homare shifted his gaze to Hisoka's worried face. "Say, Hisoka, how does it feel to have no memories? Is it better than having to remember painful things?"

Hisoka quirked an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"You see, whenever I take a trip down the memory lane, I…" Tears welled in Homare's eyes as his voice cracked. "I remember how I often made my friends cry and leave me alone."

"Alone..."

Hisoka stepped forward and wrapped his petite arms around Homare; the embrace somehow warmed him to the core. Perhaps it was the plushie. Or perhaps it was Hisoka.

Homare gladly returned the embrace.

"I used to be alone too," Hisoka said. "I didn't even have my memories with me. I felt so lonely and empty, but then you guys found me and picked me up. Now I'm no longer alone and empty." He paused. "Especially thanks to you, Arisu."

Homare blinked. "Me?"

"You always buy me marshmallows, wake me up for morning rehearsals, remind me about breakfast, lunch, and dinner, do street acts with me, invite me to fun activities... You're kind and caring."

Had he just called him kind and caring? Nobody had ever called him that!

Tears rolled down Homare's cheeks as he hugged Hisoka more tightly. "My dear Hisoka, did you really mean it?"

"You're annoying too."

Homare growled. "How rude!"

"You're kind and caring, but also noisy and annoying. But that's why I like you." Hisoka brushed away Homare's tears with a finger. "It's easy to make new memories with you. I can never forget about losing August, but it doesn't hurt that much anymore because I now have a lot of new memories."

"Because you now have a lot of new memories… Ah!" Homare leaned back, pulling Hisoka with him as he nearly tumbled along with his chair. "I feel a wave of inspiration!"

"You really are noisy and annoying." Smiling, Hisoka slipped out of Homare's unsteady hug and walked away. "Good night, Arisu."

"Thank you for inspiring me, Hisoka." Homare wiped his tears with the sleeves of his pajamas. "Tomorrow, I shall buy-"

"No need."

Homare scratched his head. "Hisoka not asking for something in return? Has hell frozen over?"

Hisoka yawned. "Shut up and write, Arisu."

"If you say so, very well." Homare smiled broadly, picking up his pen. "I shall dedicate this poem to you."

Words flowed steadily from his head and heart and onto the blank sheet of paper. By the time he finished the poem, the sun had risen, and the _Kinderszenen_ pieces had looped countless times. Amid the gentle, quiet piano tune, he heard footsteps and chatters from outside his room.

"It is done!" He put down his pen and rubbed his burning, scratchy eyes. "And what a coincidence! Now it is playing _Der Dichter Spricht_!" Homare stood up with the piece of paper in his hands and cleared his throat.

 _"Memories are not always happy.  
_ _Memories can be sad, memories can be painful.  
_ _Memories are bittersweet._

 _You cannot forget the sadness.  
_ _Nor can you forget the happiness._  
 _But you can always make new memories to bury the old ones.  
_ _You can always make new, happy memories to bury the old, sad ones._

_It is better than having no memories at all."_

From the distance, Hisoka said, "You really don't know when to shut up, do you? But it's okay. I like you better when you're noisy and annoying."

**Author's Note:**

> Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) is a set of piano pieces composed by Robert Schumann, one of Homare's favorite composers as revealed in Nocturnality Epilogue. It consists of thirteen pieces; Träumerei (Dreaming) is the seventh piece, while Der Dichter Spricht (The Poet Speaks) is the thirteenth and last piece.


End file.
